ISRAEL MEDIA REACTION

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 09 TEL AVIV 002157

SIPDIS

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WHITE HOUSE FOR PRESS OFFICE, SIT ROOM
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JERUSALEM ALSO FOR ICD
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PARIS ALSO FOR POL
ROME FOR MFO

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: IS KMDR MEDIA REACTION REPORT
SUBJECT: ISRAEL MEDIA REACTION

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SUBJECTS COVERED IN THIS REPORT:
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1. Mideast


2. Iran


3. Global War on Terror

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Key stories in the media:
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Ha'aretz reported that FM Tzipi Livni and Defense
Minister Amir Peretz will meet today with Assistant
Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs David

SIPDIS
Welch, who is coming to the region for additional talks
in the wake of PM Ehud Olmert's visit to Washington.

The Jerusalem Post and Yediot wrote that in its annual
Trafficking in Persons Report published Monday, the
State Department determined that Israel had not done
enough to fight human trafficking and thus designated
it a "Tier 2 Watch List" country, the third echelon in
a four-level scale, and a one-level drop from last
year's Tier 2 rating. The report states: "Israel is
placed on Tier 2 Watch List for its failure to provide
evidence of increasing efforts to address trafficking,
namely the conditions of involuntary servitude
allegedly facing thousands of foreign migrant workers."
The Jerusalem Post said that the report also notes that
Israel failed to pass a law, drafted in 2003, which
makes all forms of human trafficking a crime. "Israel
should extend the scope of its anti-trafficking law to
criminalize labor trafficking and establish a shelter
for such victims," the report was cited as saying.
Israel Radio also cited the State Department report.

Ha'aretz and Yediot reported that Olmert will travel to
Jordan on Thursday for a meeting with King Abdullah II.
Ha'aretz noted that in recent weeks, the King has
voiced concern that Olmert's "realignment" plan could
pose a threat to Jordanian national security. The
Jerusalem Post cited AP that quoted Jordanian
government spokesman Nasser Judeh as saying Monday that
Jordan will close Jordanian banks' branches in the
Palestinian territories should these branches be
targeted by Hamas activists.

Leading media reported that EU policy chief Javier
Solana arrived in Israel Monday for talks with Olmert,
Livni, Vice PM Shimon Peres, and Peretz. Ha'aretz
reported that Solana told them that the EU was still
putting together its mechanism to "bypass Hamas" and
transfer aid to the PA. The newspaper quoted a
political source in Jerusalem as saying that Israel is
prepared to allow the transfer of funds for clearly
defined humanitarian purposes, but not for the purpose
of paying PA officials' wages. Ha'aretz said that
Peres spoke to Solana about the need to create jobs in
the PA so as to lessen its dependency on foreign aid.
"If Hamas says it does not need the free world, let it
approach the Arab states so that their money can serve
to finance the various mechanisms," the newspaper
quoted Peres as saying. Ha'aretz wrote that Livni
spoke with Solana about the need to uphold "the process
of the international delegitimization" of Hamas and its
positions -- namely, its refusal to accept demands to
recognize Israel, abandon terror, and honor existing
agreements. The Jerusalem Post reported that Israel
made clear Monday that it views the Fatah-Hamas dispute
over the proposed referendum as an internal Palestinian
matter that will not change Israel's insistence that
the PA fulfill its obligations under the Roadmap. The
Jerusalem Post wrote that PM Olmert and FM Livni
relayed this message in separate meetings with Solana.
Israel Radio also noted that Israel is staying out of
the intra-Palestinian dispute. Yediot reported that
Israel and the PA were stops ahead of Solana's visit to
Iran.

Ha'aretz quoted FM Livni as saying Monday before the
Knesset's Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee that
Israel may pass on the names of Hamas members to
European countries in order to ease the implementation
of a European decision to block Hamas members from
entering those states. Tzipi was quoted as saying that
Israel decided to hand over the names of Hamas
ministers and Hamas parliament members after a number
of them who were not included on the Europeans' current
list of those Hamas members forbidden entry entered
Sweden and Norway and then continued to travel across
Europe. Livni was further quoted as saying: "The
diplomatic freeze [between Israel and the Palestinians]
is not government policy but rather a result of the
current reality. It is not possible to close our eyes
when we have no partner sitting opposite us." However,
Livni also said, "There are developments we want to
push forward with Abu Mazen [Palestinian Authority
Chairman Mahmoud Abbas]." The FM also noted that the
GOI's main policy is to advance the two-state concept.

All media reported on, and Ha'aretz, The Jerusalem
Post, and Yated Ne'eman bannered the expected
announcement today by PA Chairman [President] Mahmoud
Abbas of a referendum on the so-called "Prisoners'
Document." Ha'aretz reported that Hamas leaders told
the newspaper that they would urge a boycott of the
vote. Maariv and other media cited Hamas's allegation
that Abbas is trying to carry out a coup in the PA.
Leading media reported that six Palestinians were
killed in Fatah-Hamas clashes Monday. A Yediot
headline: "Gaza on Cusp of War." Palestinian PM Ismail
Haniyeh was quoted as saying in an interview with
Yediot: "I proposed to Abu Mazen new ways out of the
crisis and new solutions for engaging in dialogue so as
to reach agreements. We have no alternative but to work
together. I hope that the dialogue continues." Haniyeh
was further quoted as saying: "We are interested in the
success of the dialogue. We need to show mutual
patience and not according to a stopwatch." Haniyeh was
quoted as saying that the referendum that Abbas would
like to hold is not a goal unto itself, and that the
"goal that we are interested in is to achieve an
agreement." Yediot said that Haniyeh repeatedly
underscored in the interview that the "Prisoners'
Document" can serve as a basis for negotiations, but
there are clauses that need to be amended and
reworded." He rejected the warnings that were aired by
Abbas and said that understandings could be achieved
even without threats.

Israel Radio reported that this morning, a Qassam
rocket landed on a house in Sderot. A woman was
lightly injured and another one suffered from shock.
The station reported that the IDF responded with
artillery fire against the northern Gaza Strip. All
media reported that in an air strike on Monday evening,
the IDF assassinated two operatives from the Popular
Resistance Committees in the Gaza Strip, Majdi Hamed
and Imad Asalaya. According to the IDF, Hamed, who
also served in the PA's Preventive Security Service,
was involved in several attempted terrorist attacks.
He allegedly played a central role in two attempts to
blow up the Karni crossing, last December and this past
April. Three other Palestinians were wounded in the
operation. The Jerusalem Post reported that the
Israeli defense establishment has begun debating the
need for a massive military operation throughout the PA
territories to destroy the terror infrastructure prior
to withdrawal under the "realignment" plan.

The Jerusalem Post quoted Justice Minister Haim Ramon
as saying Sunday that the evacuation of illegal
outposts would begin in a few weeks. This morning,
Israel Radio, reported that the High Court of Justice
rejected a petition by Peace Now to evacuate six
outposts.

Maariv reported that the Gush Etzion (Etzion Bloc)
Regional Council is proposing to the Palestinians a
land swap which on the one hand would distance the
separation fence from the settlers' homes in the
settlements of Kfar Etzion, Bat Ayin and Migdal Oz,
while on the other hand, would give the Palestinian
state land that now belongs to the Etzion Bloc.

All media reported that the state budget for 2006 is
expected to pass its first reading in the Knesset on
Wednesday, after agreements were reached Monday to
secure the abstention of eight National Union-National
Religious Party MKs (excluding MK Arye Eldad) and
Yisrael Beiteinu MKs. The deal will cost the
government 302 million shekels (around USD 67.5
million) to get the budget and supplementary Economic
Arrangements Bill passed. This figure is beyond the
1.4 billion shekels (around USD 312.6 million)
allocated through coalition agreements. Funding will
come from within the budget. All media reported that
Olmert and Peretz agreed on Monday to strive to
stabilize the government coalition.

The Jerusalem Post reported that Turkish President
Ahmet Necdet Sezer is scheduled to arrive in Israel
today for a largely ceremonial two-day visit that both
Israel and Turkish diplomats said is a "confirmation"
of the "close ties" between the two countries. Sezer
is scheduled to meet with Abbas, but not with any Hamas
officials, on Thursday.

Ha'aretz reported that Nigerian President Olusegun
Obasanjo fired his National Security Adviser Gen. Aliyu
Gusau a week ago. Ha'aretz cited Nigerian media that
Gusau's dismissal followed an interview he granted
Ha'aretz, in which he tried to shirk responsibility
from the Israeli-Nigerian security deal.

Yediot reported that Jordan has asked Israel to
demolish a Palestinian building that was constructed on
the site that was slated for the construction of a
royal palace in Jerusalem before the Six-Day War.

The Yediot-associated leading news website Ynet wrote
that despite the long wait, the good news for visa
applicants at the US Embassy in Tel Aviv is that most
of them eventually obtain visas. Yediot summarized the
story, which includes an interview with Consul-General
Richard Beer. Yediot and Ynet also cited a USG
announcement over the weekend that visas for 2007 for
hi-tech jobs have run out.

Under the headline: "Pentagon Against Geneva
Convention," Yediot cited a story published Monday in
The Los Angeles Times that the Defense Department has
decided to omit from new detainee policies a key tenet
of the Geneva Convention that explicitly bans
"humiliating and degrading treatment."

Media reported that on Monday, an Islamic militia
claimed control of Somalia's capital Mogadishu.

Media reported that former Peruvian President Alan
Garcia won the presidential elections in his country.
Ha'aretz headlined: "US-Backed Candidate Elected Peru's
President."

Erratum: The name of the Hamas militant killed in a
bomb attack in the Gaza Strip on Sunday is Ahmed Yousef
Sari, and not Muhammad Sadi, as erroneously printed in
Monday's Media Reaction report.

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1. Mideast:
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Summary:
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Dr. Mordechai Keidar, an expert on Arab and Islamic
affairs at Bar Ilan University, wrote in popular,
pluralist Maariv: "The chaos that Arafat created and
knew so craftily how to control and manipulate for his
own needs, has become too big and strong a genie for
Abu Mazen to control."

Palestinian affairs correspondent Avi Issacharoff wrote
in independent, left-leaning Ha'aretz: "The impression
[from a demonstration in Ramallah Monday] was that
Fatah is undergoing a positive change."

Discussing former Vice President Al Gore, Washington
correspondent Shmuel Rosner wrote in Ha'aretz: "Is this
what the United States and the world would have needed
right now -- a president who is at his best when
speaking about global warming? Is there any place
today for a president whose primary concerns are not
terror, Islam or Iraq?"

Block Quotes:
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I. "On the Edge of the Abyss"

Dr. Mordechai Keidar, an expert on Arab and Islamic
affairs at Bar Ilan University, wrote in popular,
pluralist Maariv (6/6): "The emerging picture out of
Gaza is grave, since a group of 1.3 million people is
standing far too close to a keg of dynamite that is
enveloped by a cloud of gasoline fumes. Everyone is
afraid of the one spark that will set everything on
fire, from which no one will escape.... The chaos that
Arafat created and knew so craftily how to control and
manipulate for his own needs, has become too big and
strong a genie for Abu Mazen to control.... And what
will happen if [the latter] fails at the referendum?
He is going for broke, since he knew from the moment he
voiced the idea of a referendum ten days ago that Hamas
would never agree: for two whole years they negotiated
in Cairo and elsewhere a 'hudna,' a cease-fire, so in
ten days they are going to overcome problems that are
far more complex and difficult, first and foremost
recognition -- even de facto -- of Israel? A number of
security organizations have been formed in the Gaza
Strip in the past number of weeks. This was done by
the parties solely to prove to one another just how
determined they were to dictate their agenda to the
other side, by force if need be. Those security
organizations are terribly on edge and their fingers on
the trigger are rather itchy."

II. "Fatah Solidarity: Change For the Better"

Palestinian affairs correspondent Avi Issacharoff wrote
in independent, left-leaning Ha'aretz (6/6): "The
demonstration Fatah organized in the center of Ramallah
on Monday to mark 39 years since the 'nakhsa' -- the
Six-Day War defeat -- appeared not to be unusual....
But it seemed like those who led the current Intifada
and lost pride of place to the younger generation had
gathered there primarily to fight for their political
standing in a conflict with Hamas. The impression was
that Fatah is undergoing a positive change. Perhaps
it's the mistakes by Hamas, which is toughening its
positions, or perhaps it's Fatah's refraining from
superfluous internal strife. Fatah leaders who were at
the demonstration are talking about a decision to leave
the disputes behind, and work to enlist the public that
has been neglected in recent years: academics and
businessmen."

III. "Gore's Concern"

Washington correspondent Shmuel Rosner wrote in
Ha'aretz (6/6): "America is suddenly talking about Al
Gore again -- in admiring tones and with longing,
too.... This, of course, raises two interesting options
with respect to the man: On the one hand, maybe he
really could have been a wonderful president -- smart,
inquisitive, knowledgeable, focused; perhaps he could
have been successful in areas in which the president
who beat him, George Bush, has failed.... But another
possible conclusion can be drawn from Gore's
reemergence: Is this what the United States and the
world would have needed right now -- a president who is
at his best when speaking about global warming? Is
there any place today for a president whose primary
concerns are not terror, Islam or Iraq?"

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2. Iran:
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Summary:
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Defense and foreign affairs columnist Amir Oren wrote
in independent, left-leaning Ha'aretz: "The Americans
have no quarrel with the Iranian army, but only with
the regime and the Revolutionary Guards. And when the
conflict comes, Washington will spare the army and give
it a role in the new regime."

Block Quotes:
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"Cementing the Plans For an Assault"

Defense and foreign affairs columnist Amir Oren wrote
in independent, left-leaning Ha'aretz (6/6): "The
Americans have no quarrel with the Iranian army, but
only with the regime and the Revolutionary Guards. And
when the conflict comes, Washington will spare the army
and give it a role in the new regime.... There are
three stages on the American ladder. The first is an
internal change of policy. The second is an internal
"regime change" with external help. As hopes emanating
from the first two stages fade, an external effort will
be required to change the nuclear capability....
Without an Iranian concession, even if Condoleezza Rice
and [Iranian Foreign Minister] Manuchehr Motaki do
speak, the results are going to be similar to those of
the James Baker dialogue of the deaf with Tariq Aziz a
week before Bush Sr.'s attack on Iraq in January 1991."

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3. Global War on Terror:
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Summary:
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Deputy Managing Editor and right-wing columnist
Caroline B. Glick wrote in the conservative,
independent Jerusalem Post: "There seems to be no limit
to the willingness of Western elites to justify
jihadists in acts of war against their societies."

Block Quotes:
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"The Path to Our Destruction"

Deputy Managing Editor and right-wing columnist
Caroline B. Glick wrote in the conservative,
independent Jerusalem Post (6/6): "There seems to be no
limit to the willingness of Western elites to justify
jihadists in acts of war against their societies....
Even though the apparent ringleader of the [Ontario]
terror cell served as a prayer leader and a member of
the board of directors of his local mosque, in the wake
of Friday's arrests, Canadian and other Western
commentators and editors continued to argue that the
arrested terrorists bore no relationship to the larger
Canadian Muslim community.... Because of the defiant,
irrational, and immoral refusal of Western political,
cultural, and media elites to acknowledge the threat
that internal and external jihadist forces manifest to
the very notion of human freedom, they make it
impossible for their societies to take measures to
protect themselves."

JONES